Umbrella-support.



Patented Apr. I5, I902.

M P GP AU RS P (Application filed Mar 14, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UlTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES H. SPRAGUE, OF NORW'ALK, OllIO.

UMBRELLA-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 697,687, dated April 15, 1902.

Application filed March 14, 1901. Serial No. 51,153, (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. SPRAGUE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Umbrella-Sup port, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to canopy-supports, and is especially adapted for use on vehicles, the support comprising, essentially, a standard provided with means whereby it is adapted to be attached at two different points to the body of the vehicle, one point by preference being adjacent to the floor or bottom of the Vehicle-body and the other point adjacent to the seat or seat-back.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a special form of fastening device by means of which the lower end of the standard may be quickly and firmly connected to the floor or bottom of the vehicle-body and by means of which the standard and all the parts carried thereby may be quickly disconnected and removed from the vehicle when the canopy is not required in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide the upper end of the standard with a hori- Zontally-apertured head for the reception of an adjustable horizontal bar which is slidingly received in the head, combined with means for preventing the horizontal bar from turning axially and also means for fastening or clam ping said bar after it has been adjusted to the desired position for bringing the canopy properly over the occupants of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide the adjustable horizontal bar with a socket for holding the canopy-stafi, combined with means for clamping and preventing the rotation of said staff.

A further object is to provide interlocking means between the adjustable horizontal bar and the runner of the canopy to prevent turning of the canopy and relieve the bracesand other parts of the canopy from strain.

'With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle, showing the improved canopy-support applied thereto and a canopy upheld thereby. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the canopy-support. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showing the manner of associating the shouldered stud on the standard with the keeper therefor. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the keeper. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the standard, showing the fastening device by means of which the standard is connected to the back of the vehicle-seat. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The canopy-support contemplated in this invention comprises, essentially, a standard 10, which is preferably tubular for the sake of strength and lightness and is provided at one side with a longitudinal groove 11, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. The standard 10 is provided at its lower extremity with a projecting stud 12, the extremity of which is rounded on one side, as at 13, and the opposite side of which is pro'- vided with a laterally-extending lip or shoul der 14, adapted to engage with a keeper 15. The shoulder does not project beyond the plane of the side of the standard. It may therefore be said to be disposed within the vertical plane of the standard. The keeper is in the form of a hollow cylinder, which is provided with a bottom-attaching flange 16, provided with openings 17 to receive screws or other suitable fasteners whereby the keeper may be securely connected to the floor or bottom of the vehicle or other convenient point where the canopy-support is to be set up. The upper end of the hollow cylindrical portion of the keeper is closed, with the exception of a round central opening 18, which is approximately of the samesize as the stud 12, the construction referred to providing an annular flange 19, beneath which the shoulder 14 of the stud 12 is adapted to engage when the standard is'associated therewith in the manner illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. A compressible or resilient washer is disposed around the stud 12 and interposed between the lower end of the standard and the upper face of the keeper, the said washer Fig. 7 is a detail horizontal section.

acting by its resiliency to hold the shoulder vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the washer 20 forms a cushion between the parts, holding the shoulder 14 against the flange 19 and preventing the parts from rattling.

After, the lower end of the standard has been connected to the vehicle, as previously described, connection is made between the standard and vehicle-seat by means of a clip 21 in the form of a strap encircling the standard and provided with laterally-extending terminal ears 22, which are forced toward each other by means of a clamping-bolt 23. The strap portion of the clip 21 is provided with an inwardly-extending spur or nib 24, which'enters the groove 11 of the standard, so as to prevent relative rotation between the standard and clip. The clip is further provided at the front side of the standard with an extension 25 in the form of a plate provided with pendent parallel fianges 26, which are spaced apart a suflicient distance to enable them to embrace and bear against the oppo site sides of an attaching-plate 27, having openings 28 to receive screws or other fasteners by means of which it is connected to the back of the seat, as illustrated in Fig. 1. By the means described the clip may be adjusted vertically on the standard 10 until itis brought int o p roper relation to the plate 27, after which the extension of the clip and the plate are securely connected to each other by means of afastener 29, preferablyin the form of a machine-screw.

The upper end of the standard 10 is screwthreaded to receive the internally-threaded sleeve portion '30 of a horizontally-apertured head 31, in which is received a horizontal bar 32. Said bar is adapted to be slidingly adjusted through the apertured head 31 and maybe held at any desired point of adj ustment by ineans'of a clamping-screw 33, passing through a thickened portion 34 of the head and bearing against the upper side of the horizontal bar, which is preferably provided with a longitudinally-flattened surface 35, which tends to prevent the horizontal bar from turning axially against said flattened surface. In order to prevent any possibility of the horizontal bar turning axially within the apertured head, said bar is provided along its lower side witha longitudinal groove 36, whichreceives a key or feather 37, formed integrally with the apertured head and arranged within the bore or passage through which the bar 32 extends. The set-screwv serves also to hold the .bar down with its groove in engagement with the feather. In this way the bar may be readily adjusted lengthwise through the head without danger of turning, and the canopy hereinafter referred to and which is supported on said bar is thereby prevented from dropping to one side or the other.

The horizontal bar 32 is provided at one end with an enlarged cylindrical socket 38 to receive the lower end of the canopy-stafi 39, said socket having a rounded bottom. Said staff is usually of wood, and I therefore provide a metallic cylindrical thimble or ferrule 40, which is fitted upon the lower end of the wooden staff and secured by means of screws or othersuitable fasteners 41. The bottom of the thimble is rounded to fit the bottom of the socket. The thimble 4O fits down into the socket 3S and is fixedly held therein by means of a set-screw. 42, which passes through a thickened portion 43 of the socket and impinges against the ferrule or thimble, thus preventing the thimble from turning and escaping from the socket. As a further means for preventing the thimble from turning the socket 38 at a point opposite the set-screw 42 is provided with a recess 44, and the outer corners of the ends of said recess furnish sharp corners 45, which bite into the thimble 40 under the action and pressure of the setscrew 42 in a manner that will be readily understood.

As seen in Figs. 2 and 7, at the point where the sharp corners engage with the thimble the latter is cut so as to present a flat surface, which is forced by the set-screw 42 into cooperative relation with the corners 45 of the socket.

The horizontal bar 32 is further provided adjacent to the top' of the socket 38 with a projecting lug 46, adapted to engage a corresponding notch 47 in the bottom of the runner or sleeve 48, which traverses the staff 39 and has connected thereto the braces 49 of the canopy, which is preferably in the form of an umbrella, as shown in Fig. 1. The construction described forms an interlocked engagement between the horizontal bar and the runner, which prevents the liability of the runner to turn and produce a twisting strain on the braces and ribs of the canopy.

50 represents the ears or lugs to which the braces of the canopy are pivotally attached.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided novel means whereby the standard of the canopy-support may be quickly and firmly connected to the floor of the vehicle or other support and at a higher point to the back of the vehicle-seat and that the standard, together with the remaining parts of the canopy carried thereby, may be detached and entirely removed from the vehicle by the removal of a single fastener, which consists of the screw 29. 'By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that after removing the said fastener it is only necessary to rock the standard rearward away from the back of the seat, as illustrated in Fig. 3, whereupon the shouldered stud maybe disconnected from the keeper 15 without the necessity of partially turning or rotating the standard, which is renderednecessary in most fastenings of a like character wherein a keyhole-slot is formed for the reception of a shoulder-stud. be seen that by means of the adjustable horizontal bar 32 the canopy may be adjusted forward or backward, so as to position the same properly over the occupants of the vehicle. If desired, the standard may be left on the vehicle and the canopy detached therefrom either by removing the horizontal bar 32 or by detaching the canopy-staif 39, which may be accomplished by loosening, the screws 33 and 42, respectively.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction,operation,and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an umbrella-support, a standard provided with a terminal stud having a'lateral shoulder and rounded on the side opposite the shoulder, said shoulder being arranged within the vertical plane of the standard,-in combination with a rigidly 1 mounted keeper provided with a round opening of approximately the same size as the stud, and acompressible washer surrounding the stud above the shoulder, and between the end of the standard and the keeper. i

2. In an umbrella-s11 pport, a standard hav ing a terminal stud rounded on one side and provided at the opposite side with a-lateral shoulder, which is arranged within the verti-- cal plane of the standard, said stud being smaller in diameter than the standard so as to It will further in combination with an elevated, hollow cylindricalkeeper having a base,- attaching fiange and provided with a round opening of approximately the same size as the stud, the stud being adapted to pass through the opening and its shoulder engage the inner wall of the keeper.

3. In an umbrella-support, a horizontal bar provided with a cylindrical socket at one end, said socket having a rounded bottom and open at the top and recessed at one point of its side to provide engaging corners, a canopy-stafi provided with a cylindrical thimble at its lower end, the bottom of the thimble being rounded to fit the bottom of the socket, and

a set-screw passing through the side of the.

socket and engaging said thimble opposite the engaging corners of the socket.

4. In an umbrella-support,the bar provided with a socket, in combination with a canopystaff removably fitted in said socket, a runner on said stafi, and interlocking means between said runner and said bar to prevent rotation of the runner;

5. In an umbrella-support, a standard, and a horizontalbar adjustable thereon and provided with a socket, in combination with a canopy-staff, removably fittedin said socket, a runner on said stafi provided with a notch, and a lug on the horizontal bar adaptedto enter said notch to form an interlocked engagement between the horizontal bar and runner.

6. In an umbrella-support, a standard, a horizontal bar adj nstably mounted thereon and provided with a socket, a canopy-staff provided with aterminal thimble fitted in said socket, a runner mounted on the staff, and interlocking means on the horizontal bar and runner for preventing rotation of said runner.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. SPRAGUE.

Witnesses:

J. 0. WHITE, JOHN A STRATTON. 

